Reagan - Party of Six
by Lovemesomefrankr
Summary: A story of Jamie & Eddie navigating life with their four small kids. All Reagans will appear. Will be more family oriented than procedural. I own nothing. Just a big fan of this AMAZING show! :)
1. Chapter 1

Jamie and Eddie thought when they had gotten their last kid out of diapers, everything else would be a breeze. In the eight short years they'd been married, they had adopted one child at the exact same time they'd given birth to their first child, making it seem as though they were raising twins, waited a few years and decided to have one more, but little did they know, three years later, the final Reagan baby would make a surprise entry into the world, making their family complete.

Kenzie had been dropped at the police station one night while Jamie was at the precinct. It's not like it was the first time it had ever happened, but for some odd reason, he instantly connected with the baby. He knew Eddie was at home, extremely pregnant with their first son, Connor, but he couldn't bear the thought of sending the newborn into foster care. Since he and Eddie had already been cleared to be foster parents, he offered to take the baby home with him after she was checked out at the hospital and cleared for release. It literally took he and Eddie both less than twelve hours to fall in love with her. She didn't cry. Once babies were abandoned and realized no one was coming for them, they eventually quit crying, so even though she was only three days old, Kenzie was already showing an independent spirit. As Jamie and Eddie sat with Erin, filling out the paperwork for legal adoption, Eddie's water broke. That afternoon, Connor Luke joined the Reagan family. Connor happily made up for all of the quiet in the house. He didn't cry as much as he just liked to hear himself make noise. Jamie and Eddie constantly caught themselves cracking up at the faces Kenzie would make at Connor when he would begin "talking". She couldn't figure him out.

Henry took particular interest in watching Jamie interact with the littles. He was never really one for baby talk, so he would prop them up on either side of him in the sunroom and talk to them about the game or whatever was on the news as if they were full grown adults and were going to answer him back. As the "twins" grew, all of the Reagans enjoyed seeing what all they could get into while Jamie and Eddie ran to keep up with them. They really were easy babies and fairly easy toddlers, both happy children for the most part, which is probably what gave Jamie and Eddie the false hope that their next baby would be just as easy going. Sawyer, third in line and second daughter, was a handful from the start. Kenzie and Connor were not fans of the way that Sawyer cried night and day. In fact, the two of them packed their bags the second day she came home from the hospital and demanded to go live with Frank until she was older.

"You can't leave," Jamie reasoned with them as he led them to the sofa and took a seat on the coffee table in front of them. "Who's going to take care of Mommy when I go back to work?" They both shrugged. They didn't really care so long as it meant they were going somewhere quieter. "How about this, when you can give me the good name of a reference who can keep the household and take care of Mommy and baby Sawyer while I am gone, we will talk about you going to stay with Grandpa. Deal?"  
"Deal," they both sighed sadly.

Jamie smiled as he picked up his two four-year-olds and carried them back up to their room.

"They run away?" Eddie asked, exhausted after finally getting Sawyer down for the night.

"Tried to. I got them back upstairs and in bed."  
"Did you set the alarm?"

"Yep. If those two go anywhere, we'll know it."

"Oh I wasn't thinking about them. If she cries all night again tonight, I may run away to your dad's house," Eddie dead-panned as Jamie climbed into bed beside her. "You deal."  
"He chuckled as he wrapped her in his arms. "It will get better, Babe. We just got real lucky with the first two."  
"Well, this is it, big boy. No more after this one. I was already tired chasing two four-year-olds. Now this one is determined to never let me sleep again. We're done. Finished."

Three years later, Finn arrived.

"You know what causes this, right kid?" Danny asked as Jamie dropped off the three oldest to stay at his house while he went to stay at the hospital with Eddie.

"I have an idea," Jamie smiled. "Thanks for keeping them."  
"No problem. Erin and Jack are going to come over later. Dad and Grandpa already at the hospital?"  
"I told them I'd call them when we got close."

"Which means yes?"  
"Probably. I've got to go." He stuck his head into the livingroom where the kids had already piled up on the sofa. "Group hug guys, I've got to go."

They got up and made their way over to where he knelt with open arms. "Be good for Uncle Danny. Understand?" They all nodded as they collapsed into his arms.

"Yeah, cause if you aren't good, I'll tape you to the ceiling fan, turn it on high, and throw marshmallows at your face."

Sawyer's eyes got big. "He's kidding," Jamie winked before he kissed her on the head. "Love you."

"Daddy," Kenzie tugged at his shirt, "can't you just stay here with us? We don't need another baby. Three of us are plenty."

Jamie looked at her perplexed. This was the first he was hearing about not wanting another little brother. Unfortunately, there was no time to unpack that, so he decided to attempt to make a mental note and come back to it later.

"Too late, Kenz. Finn's on his way… and if I don't make it to the hospital before he gets here, Mommy may kill me." He bent down and kissed her on the head. "Take care of Connor and Sawyer. I'll come and get you guys in the morning. Bye Connor."

"Um… I think you three are forgetting something very important," Danny said as he closed the door behind Jamie.

"What's that?" Connor asked.

"Uncle Danny is in charge. Let's work on a booby trap for when Aunt Erin comes to visit." The kids all lit up at the mention of a booby trap and quickly went to work setting an Erin sized trap, much to Danny's delight. While the four of them worked diligently at torturing Erin, Finnigan Xavier Reagan made his grand entrance into the world. At 8 pounds and 12 ounces, Finn was the chubbiest baby Eddie and Jamie had ever delivered.

Frank and Henry were the first two to the hospital once they got the call. "Finnigan X," Frank chuckled as he picked up his newest grandson, wrapped in blue blankets. "Yes, you are a good looking boy if I do say so myself."

Finn was a much easier baby than Sawyer. Thankfully, the older kids took to him pretty quickly and weren't ready to move out the moment they returned from the hospital.

"Dad," Kenzie said as she and Sawyer sat in his lap watching television while Eddie put Finn down for the night, "can I go stay with Lizzie this weekend?"  
"Who's Lizzie?"  
"My friend from school."

"I don't think so, Bug."

"Why?"

"I don't know Lizzie's parents."

Kenzie took a deep breath and sighed. "Then can I go stay with Rosemary? You know her parents."  
"We'll talk about it. What's your big rush to get out of here this weekend?"  
"Finn's down," Eddie announced as she rejoined the family in the livingroom. "Hey, I don't think I told you… I talked to my Mom and she has decided to come in this weekend to see her newest grandson. I stupidly agreed to let her stay here."

Jamie raised his eyebrows and looked at Kenzie. "Now I know why you wanted to leave."

"Alright, girls. Time to get ready for bed," Eddie sighed as she stretched out her hand for Sawyer to take. Sawyer yawned as she started to get up.

"Kiss first," Jamie smiled as she turned around and kissed him on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Daddy."  
"Sweet dreams, baby."

Kenzie never moved as Sawyer bounced off and grabbed Eddie's hand. "Kenz, let's go. It's getting late."

"I want to stay with Dad. I'm not a baby. I don't need to go to bed with the babies."

"I not a baby!" Sawyer huffed as she stomped her foot.

"Yes, you are."

"Kenzie Reese." Eddie's patience was wearing thin.

"You two go ahead," Jamie said, stepping in as the voice of reason when clearly Kenzie had no intention of leaving his lap. "I'll take care of Kenzie and Connor."

"Sounds good." Eddie left with Sawyer as Jamie turned his attention back to Kenzie.

"Why are you giving Mama a hard time, huh?"

Kenzie didn't say anything but just sighed. "Can I go stay with Grandpa?"

"Look at it this way, Bug. Just like when we brought Sawyer home and you and Connor thought you were going to leave, you aren't going anywhere… because if you leave, we all have to pack up and come with you… and we're all too tired to do that right now. Besides, you've got a new little brother that needs you."

"No he doesn't. Can we get a dog?"

"No," Jamie chuckled. "Connor!"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Are you ready for bed?"  
"Can I have five more minutes on this game?"

"No. Bed. Now." Connor sighed as he handed over the iPad to Jamie. "You too, Bug. Let's go." Jamie got up and followed them both to the bathroom as they brushed their teeth and then into their bedroom. Connor climbed onto the top bunk and underneath the covers. Jamie straightened out the comforter and tucked him in tight. "I love you, buddy. Goodnight."  
"Night, Dad."  
Kenzie had yet to get into bed and was instead looking through the closet.

"Kenz, let's go."  
"I'm looking for something."  
"What?"  
She took another look around. "Umm…. This." She picked up a green and pink striped beanie."

"You don't need that."

"I just needed to know where it was."  
"Ok. Now that we know, get in bed," Jamie chuckled, knowing good and well Kenzie could stall all night when it came to going to bed. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her over to the bed. He held back the covers as shed climbed in. "Got Wally Bear?"  
Kenzie pulled her teddy bear out from under the covers and tucked it in the fold of her arm. "Daddy, can you and me and Connor go to Coney Island this weekend?"  
"Probably not this weekend, but we'll go sometime soon."

"Can I go to Uncle Danny's house…"

"The only place you can go is to sleep. Now." Kenzie sighed as she rolled over onto her side. "Sweet dreams. I love you."

"Love you too."

The following day, Eddie got a call from Mrs. Higgins, Kenzie and Connor's second grade teacher. "Hi Mrs. Reagan, do you have a moment?"  
"Sure," Eddie said as she took a seat. "What's going on?"

"Well, I just had a few concerns about Kenzie's progress in my class and was hoping you or your husband may be able to stop by after school so we might all discuss it."

"Sure. May I ask what it is regarding?"

"Well, it seems that her reading scores have taken quite a dip this year. I was hoping you or your husband may have some insight. She said Mr. Reagan always helped her with her reading but he hasn't been doing it the past few weeks."

"No. He's been on nights the past few weeks while I've been at home with the new baby."

"Ah."  
"Yeah… I think my darling daughter may have a big case of jealously. I'll call Jamie and get him to stop by and meet with you after school."

"Sounds good. Thank you."  
Eddie rolled her eyes as she dialed Jamie. "Hey," he smiled as he kicked back at his desk for a brief moment. "How's it going?"  
"Well, I just got off the phone with Mrs. Higgins."

"Uh oh." He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. "Which one did what?"  
"Apparently our very smart daughter isn't performing very well in reading."  
"Huh? Kenzie? She reads the Wall Street with Pop every weekend."

"I know that and you know that, but it appears she is unmotivated when it comes to Mrs. Higgins class. Can you go meet with Mrs. Higgins after school and motivate our darling daughter?"  
"Yes ma'am."

"Do not go easy on her Reagan. I know how you are when it comes to your first born…"  
Jamie chuckled as he looked at the picture of his kids on his desk. "Don't worry. We'll get it all straightened out."

Jamie took off around 3:00pm and made his way to St. John's Catholic School. He parked the car and made his way inside where Kenzie and Connor were expecting to make their way home.

"Daddy? What are you doing here?"

"I have a meeting with your teacher," Jamie answered. "Actually, you and I have a meeting with your teacher. Lead the way." Kenzie looked to Connor who just grinned.

"Can I go play outside at the playground?"

"No. I don't want you out there by yourself. Sit right here and we'll be out in a few minutes."

The Reagans made their way into the classroom where Mrs. Higgins was sitting behind her desk speaking with the school counselor, Mr. Fallon. They stood to shake Jamie's hand the minute he walked in. "Hi Mr. Reagan. Thank you for coming in today."

"Yeah. Thanks for hanging out to speak with us. My wife told me a little bit but can you explain what's going on?"  
"Well, let me start out with Kenzie and Connor have been for the most part an absolute delight to have in class this year."  
"Thank you."

"I have noticed a recent dip in Kenzie's reading scores. She hasn't been turning in her reading journal showing that she reads every night and when I kept her in during recess to make up the reading, she told me she couldn't even remember the site words." Jamie furrowed his brow as he looked over the progress report and class assignments that she had pulled for him. Kenzie crossed her arms and looked at the floor as Jamie looked over at her.

"Bug? What's going on here?"

"I can't do it."

"I know you've had some big changes lately," Mrs. Higgins offered. "Might there be some j-e-a-l-o-u-s-y?"

"I'm not jealous of Finn," Kenzie mumbled. "I'm a-n-g-r-y."

Jamie and Mr. Fallon both grinned. "Kenzie Reagan, are you honestly going to sit there and tell me you can spell the word jealous but you can't read this See Spot Run book?" Kenzie shrugged. "I don't buy it. You've been doing the USA Today Crossword with Pop since you were six and reading the Wall Street Journal with Grandpa since you were four."

"I can't do it anymore."

Jamie looked at her perplexed, but with a slight grin.

"I know for a fact you can," Mr. Fallon said. "I've seen you pick out much harder books in the library. What was that one you got the other day? Life in the Blue House?"  
"Life in the White House, Mr. Fallon," Kenzie giggled.

"Ah yes. The one about the people that work at Disney."

"No. It's the one about that people that work for the President."

"In the North Wing?"

"In the West Wing!" Kenzie chuckled.

"So why aren't we turning in homework?" Jamie asked.

Again, Kenzie shrugged. "Come on, Bug. If you don't start doing well in this school, these guys are going to send you to a special school after you get out here and you have to sit and read for four hours. Then you'll come home, eat supper, study for another hour and then go to bed. Every day. And then you will have eight hours of tutoring on Saturdays and another four hours on Sunday after mass."

Kenzie's eyes went wide. "Fine! I can read! I can read the stupid books!"

"Language," Jamie warned.

"I can read. I just… haven't. But I can. And I didn't turn in the reading journals because you and me do that. Mommy doesn't do it right."

"Ah. What would you like Mommy to do differently?"

"Nothing," Kenzie sighed.

"Bug…"  
"I want her to take care of the little kids and let me stay up and wait on you to read. And I want us to read every night like we used to."

"Well, we may not can do that every night, but we can definitely try to squeeze it in most nights. How does that sound?"

"Ok.."

"No more slacking in school. Understand?"  
"Yes sir."

"Good deal. And no more lying to your teachers. Apologize to Mrs. Higgins and Mr. Fallon."  
"I'm sorry."

"Thank you. No ipad for two weeks."

"But…"  
"No buts. Let's go."

When the Reagans arrived at home, Jamie instructed Kenzie and Connor to go upstairs and wash up for dinner while he talked to Eddie. "So basically she's jealous of Finn?"  
"Something like that. She just wants to read with me like we normally do. No big deal. I'll just have to make sure to make time."

"Why in the world won't she just read with me?"  
"I don't know, Babe. But look at it this way. You do so much. If reading The Cat in the Hat is one thing I can take off of you, I'll do it in a heartbeat." Eddie smiled. "Oh I also told Kenz no iPad for two weeks."

"Sounds fair. How'd she take it?"

"I really didn't give her an option."

After dinner, Connor was anxious to play with their new art set that Erin had gotten for them. "Come on, Kenzie. We got plenty of time before bed!"

"Take Sawyer with you," Jamie instructed. Kenzie and I have some homework to do."

"Really?" Kenzie's eyes lit up.

"Absolutely. Go get your book and meet me in the livingroom." Kenzie read the entire book cover-to-cover in less than ten minutes. Jamie sat back and smiled as she didn't even ask for help or sound out a word. "Great job, Bug. What's next?"  
"We have to do these sight words."  
Jamie held up the twenty flashcards one-by-one as Kenzie rattled off each correct answer. "Anything else?" he asked.

"Ummm…." Kenzie was looking for any reason to prolong their time together, but couldn't think of one.

Sensing his daughter's hesitation to give up his attention just yet, he offered her a solution. "Because if we're done, we could just sit here and talk for a while."  
"Let's just sit," Kenzie smiled as she nestled into the crook of his arm. "Daddy, will you tell me a story about when you and Uncle Danny, and Uncle Joe, and Aunt Erin were little?"

"Let me think," Jamie said as he tossed a few ideas around in his head.

There was one time that Grandpa and Grandma left us at home while they went to our Parent Night at school. Uncle Danny was about 16, Aunt Erin was 14, and Uncle Joe was 12."  
"How old were you?"

"About your age. Maybe a little smaller. Me and your Uncle Joe decided that we wanted to make chocolate milkshakes and we got in a fight over who got to make theirs first. When we plugged it in, we started fighting over who got to do it first and one thing led to another and the next thing we knew the crazy thing leapt out of our hands and spun all the way around the kitchen."  
"Did you make a mess?"  
"We didn't just make a mess. We had ice cream on the floor, chocolate syrup on the roof, and whipped cream on the windows. We both started screaming and when Uncle Danny and Aunt Erin ran in, they got covered in chocolate."

"Oooo. I bet Uncle Danny was mad."

"Yep. Mom and Dad weren't too happy either. Me and Joe had to spend the entire afternoon and the next day scrubbing the floors, walls, and windows. After that, Grandpa said if we ever wanted another milkshake, he would just take us out to get one."

"Can we go get one?"

"Not today, but maybe one day soon."

"Daddy! Connor won't let me have the paints!" Sawyer yelled as she came stomping into the livingroom, paintbrush in hand and absolutely livid.

"It's because she's trying to paint on the wall!" Connor grumbled as he came in, hot on her heels.

Jamie raised his eyebrows and looked to Sawyer. "Is that true?"

"Well… I…"

"Are you supposed to paint anywhere but on the paper?"

"No sir."  
"That's right. Why were you trying to paint on the wall?"

"I wanted my room to be purple instead of pink."

"Well if you want it to be purple you need to talk to me and Mommy. No trying to paint the walls. Ok?"

"Ok."

"Finn's down," Eddie said as she joined the conversation. "What's going on in here?"

"Sawyer tried to paint the walls," Connor answered matter-of-factly.

"What?" Eddie's eyes got huge.

"I wanted purple walls."

"We talked about it," Jamie said as he watched Eddie's blood pressure rise.

"And we also talked about it a few nights ago, didn't we Sawyer Kate?"

About that time, Jamie's phone rang. He picked it up and saw Danny's name on the caller id. "Here," he said, handing his phone to Kenzie. "Talk to Uncle Danny while I keep Mommy from killing Sawyer."

"Hi Uncle Danny," Kenzie cooed as she answered the phone.

"Hey Kenz. What are you doing?"  
"Watching Mommy yell at Sawyer for painting on the wall." Jamie frowned in Kenzie's direction as he took the phone away from her and handed it to Connor.

"You try."

"Hey Uncle D."

"Hi Connor. What else is going on over there?"

"Nothing." Connor, being slightly more sly than his sister, made his way into the kitchen. "Dad had to go to school today to meet with Mrs. Fallon so Kenzie's in trouble too."

Danny chuckled. "Is anybody over there not in trouble?"  
"Well, Finn's asleep and I haven't shown them my spelling test yet, so we're good. It's just the girls."

"That's why I'm glad I had boys. Look. Tell your dad to call me when he gets a chance. Ok?"

"Ok."

Connor made his way back into the livingroom where all of the action was taking place and handed the phone back to Jamie who was trying his best to referee Eddie and the girls. "Uncle D says to call him back later after you get done yelling at Sawyer and Kenzie."

"I'm not yelling. Go brush your teeth and get ready for bed." He turned to Kenzie. "You too, Bug."

"What about Sawyer?" Kenzie frowned, not the least bit excited about going to bed before her younger sister.

"Sawyer's going too," Eddie answered. "And even if she wasn't, it wouldn't matter because Daddy said for you two to go. So go."

"But I'm not even tired," Kenzie groaned as she rubbed her eyes.

"And that is the international sign that you are. Go."

Once they got the kids in bed, Jamie and Eddie retired to their room for some well-deserved alone time. They both collapsed into bed, completely exhausted.

"How much longer until they're all in college?"  
"Including Finn?" Eddie asked. "Eighteen years."

"Ok forget that. How long until they're old enough to all go away for the night?"

Eddie thought for a moment. "Including Finn? Eight years or so…"

"Til the weekend?"  
"Two days."

"Well there's something we can celebrate."

Eddie giggled as she snuggled into Jamie's side as he wrapped his arms around her. "I love you."

"Love you too," he smiled as he kissed her. And with that, it only took about two minutes for them to fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Eddie and Jamie both groaned as the alarm clock sounded. Jamie hit the snooze button and rolled back over to wrap Eddie in his arms.

"We've got to get up," she mumbled without even opening her eyes.

"I need five more minutes. You kept me up too late last night."

"Ha. That was all you, Mr. Reagan. Come on. We've got to get up. Connor and Kenzie have a field trip this morning and if they're late they can't go and if they don't get to go, I will never hear the end of it."

"Where are they going?"

"Liberty Science Center."

"I love that place. I wish I could chaperone but I can't get out of this court appearance. If I no-show Erin may kill me."

"I know. It's fine. This will be my first time out of this house since having Finn. I'm excited to go… even if it's a field trip with sixty-five seven-year-olds."

"Mama! Get up!" Kenzie yelled as she and Connor sprinted into Jamie and Eddie's room and jumped on the bed. "We gotta go!"

"Have you two slept at all?" Eddie asked, cracking open one eye as the two of them crawled to the top of the bed and wedged their way in between their parents.

"A little bit."  
"Well how about you go and put on your uniforms while Daddy and I get up and fix breakfast?"

"What's for breakfast?" Connor asked.

"How about… scrambled eggs and toast?" Jamie asked.

"With bacon?"

"We'll see if we have any. Is Sawyer up yet?"

"Not yet."

"Daddy, are you sure you can't go with us today?" Kenzie asked as she rested her head on Jamie's shoulder.

"Yep. If I go with you, I'm going to get in trouble with Aunt Erin." Jamie scrunched up his face as the "twins" followed suit. "But I want to hear all about it when you get home."

"Mama!" Sawyer yawned as she came stumbling in, dragging her ratty old blanket behind her, "I'm hungry." She looked just like Eddie with her long blond hair going every which direction.

"Hey you," Jamie smiled as she wandered over to his side of the bed. He picked her up and sat her in the middle of the bed with the other two. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Uh huh." Still not fully awake, she quickly fell over and went back to sleep.

"How about you guys bundle up and stay up here just a little longer while me and Daddy go fix breakfast?" Eddie asked, looking at Connor and Kenzie.

"We gotta get ready!" Connor announced as he jumped up. "Come on Kenz."

The two older kids darted off to put their uniforms on while Sawyer slept soundly in the middle of the bed.

Jamie pulled the covers back up over her, grabbed his suit, went into the bathroom, and got dressed. "Make sure you grab your sweaters," he reminded Connor and Kenzie as he passed by their room on his way downstairs to help Eddie. It didn't take long for the two of them to dress and sprint down the stairs.

"Ok, I've got to get going," Jamie said as he rinsed his breakfast dish and put it in the dish drainer. "You two have fun today and make sure you stay with Mama and Mrs. Higgins. Don't run off. Understand?"

"We won't, Dad," Connor assured him as he got up and gave Jamie a hi-five before putting his plate in the sink.

"Kenzie Reece, copy?"  
"Uh huh."  
"Bug…" Jamie was looking for some sort of acknowledgement, but Kenzie was completely fixated on trying to build a hut out of her cinnamon waffles. Eddie screwed the lid on a thermos of coffee and handed it to Jamie before giving him a kiss.

"Kenzie. Answer Daddy, please."

"Huh?"  
Jamie rolled his eyes as he walked over and knelt down beside her chair so that he was eye-to-eye with her. "Do not go off exploring on your own today. Stay with Mommy and Mrs. Higgins. Yes sir?"

"Yes sir."

"Thank you." He gave her a kiss to the top of the head and gave Eddie one more kiss before heading out the door. "I'll see you guys tonight."

"Ok. Let's go get Sawyer up and get out of here."

Eddie dropped Sawyer at Nursery School and Finn off at the sitter's house before making her way to St. Joe's. They made it just in time to be counted present and head out for their field trip. Kenzie and Connor were both excited as they all piled onto the bus and made their way to the Science Center. Eddie enjoyed watching her two oldest explore every nook and cranny and willingly engage in all of the experiments. Connor was more science-minded, but Kenzie stayed equally as interested.

On the other side of town, Jamie was hanging out in the back of the courtroom waiting on Erin to call him as a witness when Danny breezed in and took a seat beside him.

"Hey."

"Hey Danny. What's up?" he whispered.

"You never called me."  
"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. It was a wild night."  
"I heard. Are my nieces out of the doghouse yet?"

"They're working on it. Kenzie's back to passing 2nd grade and as long as Sawyer lays off redecorating her room, I think their mama may let them live."

Danny chuckled. "How do you feel about working a case with me?"

"What's the case?"

"Vincent DelFino."  
"The leader of the Red Kings?"  
"Yep. He supposedly made a deal and needs protection when he helps us bring down the Black Spades. However, I don't very well trust someone who severs people's jugulars for fun. So, while we got people watching his back, we want somebody watching him."  
"So it's a looky loo."

"Basically. It's watch my back while I watch somebody who has no problem slitting a throat."

"Yeah. I'm in."  
About that time, they heard Erin clear her throat in annoyance. "I said, the court calls Detective Jamie Reagan to the stand."

"Oops. Gotta go."

"Oh she looks mad."

"Yeah…" Jamie muttered.

Danny chuckled. "Have fun," He waved to Erin who looked anything but amused as he got up and left the courtroom.

Jamie got out shortly after lunch and gave Eddie a call. "Hey. How are things going over there?"  
"Hey you. Everything's good. The kids are loving the experiments. You know Connor's in Heaven over here."

"What about Kenz?"  
"I think she's enjoying it. I mean, she looks happy. I don't think she cares how any of this works, but I think she's enjoying it all the same."

"Have you guys had lunch?"  
"We had a peanut butter and jelly and some carrot strips. I'm starving."

"You guys want to meet me for pizza?"

"Oooo. Steppanopolo's?"

"Yeah. Do I need to come over and get you?"

"Nah. We're headed back to the school now. I'll sign them out and we'll be there in about thirty?"

"Sounds good. I'll head on over and order the usual."  
"Ok. We'll see you in just a little while. Love you."  
"Love you."

Eddie signed out the kids as soon as they made it back to the school. "Hey guys, how do you feel about meeting Daddy for pizza?"  
"Just the four of us?" Kenzie asked.

"Yep." Eddie looked in the rearview mirror and saw Kenzie's eyes light up.

"Then, YES!"

"Good. Get your stuff and let's get out of here."

Jamie was sitting in the restaurant when they pulled into the parking lot. He stood when they walked in and waved them over to the table.

"Dad!" Connor yelled as he took out in a dead sprint and ran into Jamie's arms.

"Daddy!" Kenzie followed suit.

"Hey," Eddie smiled as she soon caught up with them and walked straight over to Jamie for a kiss.

"How was it?"

"We had a great time. Right guys?"

Kenzie and Connor chattered non-stop. Jamie listened intently as Eddie dove into her pizza. "Hey Dad, can we go back sometime?" Connor asked. "I want to show you the bed of nails… and the Sherlock Holmes exhibit. We got to solve a mystery looking at a splatter pattern and footprints and everything!"

Jamie gave Eddie a confused/concerned look. "Splatter pattern?"

Eddie just chuckled.  
"Uncle D will be so proud!"

"I'm sure he will be."

"Can we go back?"  
"Yeah! Just the four of us!" Kenzie hinted. "The little kids wouldn't know what to do."

Jamie shook his head. "Speaking of your siblings, how was Sawyer when you dropped her at school?"

"She was fine. Got out with no complaint. They were having a pudding party today, so I think that helped. Speaking of which, we need to get going so we can pick her up."

"I want to stay with Dad."  
"Me too," Kenzie agreed.

"Can't, guys. I have to go back to work to wrap up a few loose ends."  
"Whhhhhaaat?"

"Nooooooooo."  
Eddie and Jamie both laughed at the twins dramatics. "It's only for a little while. I'll be home by 4:00pm."  
"But Dad…"  
"If you help Mama with whatever chores need to be done, we'll play when I get home. Deal?"

"Deal," they both agreed.

"You good?" Jamie asked as Eddie got up to head out with the kids.

"Yep. I was just thinking, you come home and wear them down, then we can put them to bed early, and you and I can play."

"Sounds good," he grinned as he wrapped a hand around her waist and gave her a kiss.

"DAD! No." Kenzie and Connor stood covering their eyes, completely grossed out.

"Be careful," she smiled. "We'll see you at 4pm."

Kenzie, Sawyer, and Connor were all anxiously awaiting by the door when Jamie got home. Eddie was feeding Finn and ordered them all to stay put until Jamie actually got inside and put his gun in the safe.

"Let's play with water guns!"  
"Let's play soccer!"  
"Bubbles!" Sawyer squealed as she tried her best to jump as high as Kenzie and Connor were bouncing.

"Five minutes, guys. Let me change my clothes." Jamie ran upstairs and put on a pair of athletic shorts and a Harvard t-shirt.

"Dinner will be ready at 6pm," Eddie said as she pulled Finn on to her shoulder and patted his back.

"Sounds good," Jamie said as he sat down beside her on the sofa to put on his tennis shoes. "Hey Finn." He gently patted Finn's head, which didn't go unnoticed by his two daughters.

"Daddy! Let's go!" Kenzie urged.

"Let's go!" Sawyer echoed as they each grabbed one of his hands and tugged at him.

"Yell if you need help with dinner." Jamie leaned over and kissed Eddie before getting up and following the kids out into the front yard. Keeping his promise to Eddie, Jamie and the kids played hard for almost two hours. They ran all over the front and back yard, playing soccer, cops and robbers with water guns, tag, and kick the can. They were dirty and exhausted when Eddie called them in for dinner.

"Mama, would you mind if we did showers before dinner? We're all pretty gross," Jamie said, as they all piled inside.

"Ugh, please," Eddie said, wrinkling her nose at the sights and smells standing in front of her.

Thirty minutes and four showers later, the clean and freshly pajama clad crew returned to the dining room.

"We're clean," Jamie smiled as they made their way into the dining room where Eddie was setting the spaghetti, salad, and bread on the table, "and ready for bed."

"I like it. Connor, can you do the prayer, please?"

By the time everyone was finished eating and the dishes were cleared from the table, the kids were exhausted and ready for bed. Sawyer had nodded off mid meal and as much as Kenzie and Connor tried to insist that they weren't tired, neither of them could keep their eyes open. After putting them to bed, Eddie and Jamie made their way into the bedroom for some much anticipated alone time. Eddie slipped into her blue, silk, mini-robe and lit a few candles while Jamie went around and locked the doors and turned off all the lights. When he returned with two champagne flutes and a bottle of bubbly, Eddie was waiting.

"Well hello, Mr. Reagan."

"Hi," Jamie grinned as he shut the bedroom door and placed the glasses and bottle on the side table. Eddie made her way over to him and rose on her tip toes as she kissed him. "Champagne now or later?" he whispered, with his eyes still closed and his arms wrapped around Eddie's waist.

"Later… much later," she giggled as she pulled him down on the bed.

An hour later, their bodies intertwined in the sheets, Eddie looked to Jamie as she lay, running her finger along his sternum. "Hey Jamie?"

"Yeah?"  
"I love our life."  
"Me too," he smiled as he kissed the top of her head and ran his hand along her shoulder.

"I mean, for the longest, all I ever wanted to be was a cop, and then I met you and all that changed. I wanted to be a cop AND your wife. I never saw myself as anything different. And then we had the kids."  
"What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I don't know if it's ok for me to still want to be a cop when I have the very important role of wife and mother. When I married you, I swore that I wouldn't lose myself… and I didn't really. But when I became a mother, all of that had to go away. If I were a teacher or someone who sold make-up or worked in a bookstore, I wouldn't feel as bad about leaving the kids every morning. But a cop? There's always that possibility that I won't come home… and I can't do that to those kids. I cannot leave them without a mother."

"You want to take a break? Because you can. Eddie you don't have to go back to work. We'll be fine."

"Oh, but I do. I've been going insane sitting in this house every day. I want to be out in the streets. It's in my blood… but every time I think about getting back out there, I see Finn… or Sawyer… or Kenzie or Connor. I'm just afraid this new perspective is going to affect my ability to be a good cop."

"You don't see me?" Jamie smiled down at her.

"Reagan, I'm serious!" she playfully slapped his stomach.

"Look, cards on the table, being a husband and a father has changed me to. Every decision I make is 100% affected by whether or not I will be able to walk through that door each night to the five of you."

"So what do you do?"

"Me? I just go into every situation saying I'm coming home. No more going off the reservation… no more cowboy heroics… I do my job and I come home. Nothing is going to keep me from my girls and my two sons. But Babe, whatever you decide, I'll support you. If you want to go back to the job after your maternity leave, I'm behind you. You're the best cop I know. But if you want to stay at home and police a whole different set of animals, I'll support you… because you're also the best mom that I know."

Eddie smiled as she melted into him. How lucky was she? She literally had the perfect guy to do life with.


	3. Chapter 3

The Reagans seemingly perfect lives hit a bit of a snag when the St. Joe 2nd grade class had a discussion on twins. Kenzie, always proud to identify as Connor's better half, was quick to enlighten the kids on what it meant to be a twin. To her, it just meant instant playmate, forever best friend, and jedi mind powers. Kirsten, the resident smart girl/mean girl was quick to correct her.

"To be twins you have to have been born from the same mom at the same time. You and Connor can't be twins. Your birthdays aren't the same."

"Yes, we are. And you're dumb."  
"Kenzie Reagan, we don't use unkind words in this room."

"Yes ma'am," Kenzie muttered as their teacher, Mrs. Higgins, peered over her shoulder.

"Besides," Kirsten continued, "The only way for you and Connor to really be brother and sister is if you have the same mom."  
"Of course we have the same mom. You're such a liar."

"Kenzie Reagan. Last warning." For the life of her Kenzie could not figure out how she kept getting called out and not Kirsten. Clearly this girl was the teacher's pet.

"Kenz, don't listen to her. She has no idea what she's talking about," Connor, the level-headed one said as he took a seat beside his sister. "Of course we're twins. Don't you think Mom or Dad would have told us if we weren't? You were just born a few days early is all."

"You're right." Kenzie stuck her tongue out at Kirsten and went back to her art project.  
Kenzie tried to put the discussion out of her mind, but she couldn't. She couldn't wait for Jamie to get home so she could talk to him, but unfortunately, his late night turned into a really late night and Eddie made her go to bed.

"I need to talk to Daddy," Kenzie whined.

Assuming it was just another of her daughter's tactics to stay up late, Eddie stood firm and put them to bed. "You'll see Daddy tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Jamie got home, just after 9pm and found Eddie sorting clothes on the couch. "Hey."

"Hey you," she smiled as he plopped down beside her. "How was your day?"

"Long," he answered as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Sorry I left you with the littles this afternoon. How'd it go?"

"We were fine. Something must have happened at school today. Kenzie and Connor were being weird. She's real mad at me for making her go to bed before you got home, so not quite sure what that's all about. Sawyer kicked some kid on the playground who wasn't moving through the obstacle course fast enough and got to spend a good amount of time in time-out."  
"And Finn?" Jamie asked, at least hoping for a good report from the tiniest Reagan.

"Finn is perfect. That big guy is perfectly content. Went down at 7:45pm."

"Sorry it's been a day."  
"It was just a Monday. No big deal. Tell me about your day."

"Hostage situation on the upper East side. That's what took so long. Guy had his wife and two kids barricaded in an apartment with massive explosives. We had to evacuate the entire complex and surrounding buildings."

"Did you get them out?"  
"Yep. It was intense, but we got the wife and kids."

"Good."

The following day, Kenzie still hadn't let it go. As soon as she woke up, she took off in a dead sprint to Jamie and Eddie's room. She quietly made her way over to his side of the bed where he was sound asleep and shook his shoulder. "Daddy?" she whispered. "Daddy?"

"What is it, Bug?" he asked groggily. "What time is it?"

"I need to talk to you."  
"Right now?"

"Uh huh."  
Not quite ready to open his eyes, muchless get out of bed, Jamie tried a different option. "Want to hop in bed?" He pulled back the covers as Kenzie stood beside him with arms crossed.

"No it's got to be in private."  
That definitely caught his attention. "Okay?" He sighed as he got up and followed her downstairs. She led the way into the livingroom where he took a seat in his recliner and she climbed up in his lap. "What's going on?"

"Me and Connor… we have the same Mom, right?"

"What? Of course. The same Mommy you've always had. The one that's sleeping upstairs right now. What kind of silly question is that?"

"And we're twins right?"  
"Of course."

"Why do we not have the same birthday?"

Jamie was so not prepared for this… especially at 5:00am in the morning. "Kenzie, what's the one thing that Mommy is always telling you that you need to work on?"  
"Patience."  
"Exactly. You've never been patient a day in your life. You just came early. Now can we please go back to bed?"  
"Ok."  
He took her back upstairs and tucked her back into bed before racing back into their room.

"What was that about?" Eddie mumbled as he crawled into bed.

"I just got hit with the question and I lied."  
"Huh?"  
"I think they know they aren't twins."  
Eddie's eyes immediately opened.

"WHAT?"

"Yeah. I think we've been found out."  
"What'd you say?"  
"That she's always been impatient and just came a few days early. I didn't know what to say. I was half asleep."

"Oh crap."

"Yeah. We've got to figure this thing out and fast."

Unfortunately, they didn't really get time to figure it out because when Kenzie and Connor got to school, Kirsten was awaiting their arrival.

"I asked my mom."

"So. I asked my dad," Kenzie sassed back. "I told you. I just got born earlier than Connor."

"Yeah. From another mom. You got dropped off at a police station. They adopted you. You're like Little Orphan Annie. You aren't really a Reagan."  
"You're a liar! No wonder nobody likes you!" Kenzie shouted as her eyes filled with tears.

"It was all in the newspaper. Look it up if you don't believe me. That's probably why they had another baby."

"I hate you!" Kenzie yelled as she pushed Kirsten down.

"Kenzie Reagan! To the office!" Mrs. Higgins yelled as she went to help Kirsten to her feet.

Kenzie stormed off as Connor quickly followed.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She wasn't lying. She said it's in the paper. I'm not really a Reagan. Daddy found me at the police station."

"What?"  
"No wonder they had another baby. I'm not really theirs. I'm going to find my real family. Don't tell Daddy."

"Kenzie, you can't."

"I think I'll go to Florida and live at Disney World in Cinderella's castle."

"You can't. Dad and Mama would be real mad. And so would Grandpa."

"Kenzie Reagan. Office. Now," Mrs. Higgins directed again. "Connor, get to class."

Kenzie headed in the direction of the office, but instead, slipped right out the front door and took off in a dead sprint. She had no clue where she was going, but she knew it was somewhere far away.

When Mrs. Higgins went to the office to speak with Kenzie and the principal about ten minutes later, she couldn't find her. She went on the hunt, stopping at the counselor's office and every other conceivable place she could think one of her kids might go. When she couldn't find her, they did an all-call and she went back to the room to ask Connor. Little did she know, Connor had been inconsolable in the classroom because he was convinced his sister was on the run.

When she finally got him calm enough to tell her what was wrong, they all went in to panic mode. Mrs. Higgins took him down to Mr. Fallon's office to try to get the particulars.

"What's going on, Connor?" Mr. Fallon asked as calmly as possible.

"Kenzie's gone."  
"Huh?"

"Kenzie's gone. She left. Kirsten said mean things to her and she took off. She said she's going to find her real family."

"Her real family?"

"Kirsten said she's adopted. Is that true?"

"What?" Mr. Fallon wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to that. "Where did she go?"

"I don't know. She said Disney World."

Mr. Fallon walked out front and filled in Principal Greene. It wasn't long before they pulled the tapes, saw Kenzie leave the school going left, and placed a call to Jamie.

"Detective Reagan, I'm sorry to call you like this. It seems Kenzie got into an argument with a student first thing this morning before classes and she ran off."

"Have you found her?"

"No. Officer Collins headed in the direction we saw her leave on the cameras, but no sign of her yet."  
"I'm on my way."

Jamie called Eddie who immediately wanted to spring into action, but he insisted she stay put in case Kenzie came home. His next call, went to Danny.

"What's up, Kid?"

"Danny, Kenzie's run off from school. Can you swing by and help me look?"

"Yeah. We're on our way. What's the plan?"

"I don't know. She's a seven-year-old girl. What if some creep picks her up and…"  
"Calm down and think. Where does she feel most safe?"

"Our house. Your house. Dad's."

"I'm calling Pop and I'll meet you at the school."

Connor was a mess by the time Jamie got to the school. A little over an hour had passed, and he was convinced she was half-way to Disney, even though they knew she couldn't be farther than a couple of miles on foot.

"Connor, what'd Kenzie say exactly?"  
"She said Kirsten told her that she wasn't really a Reagan because you found her at the Police Station and you and Mama adopted her."

"What?"  
"Is that true Dad?"  
"What else did she say?" Much like Mr. Fallon, Jamie wasn't about to go down that rabbit hole.

"She said she was going to find her real family. She said you and Mama had Finn because she wasn't really your kid and she was going to find the people that wanted her. If she couldn't, she'd go live at Disney World."

Danny walked in shortly after and Jamie relayed all the facts. "She can't be more than three miles away on foot. Let's do a canvas of the area. I've got more units headed this way."

"Dad…"  
"Connor, stay here."  
"But I can help."  
"Stay."

Jamie and Danny took off and spent the next hour looking up and down the streets. The additional units were instructed to knock on doors and go in businesses, but none were successful. To add even more stress, a thunderstorm rolled in, making the hunt even more difficult.

"Let's think for a minute," Danny said. "What are the places she knows how to get to?"

"Church. School. Your house and Dad's."

Danny knew Kenzie was smart enough to go somewhere dry, so he went to the church first. Father O'Malley met him at the door, but told him he hadn't seen a soul all day.

By 8:00pm, Jamie and Eddie were both in full-fledged panic mode. "Twelve hours. Jamie, it's been twelve hours and she hasn't eaten and it's cold and it's raining and it's getting dark. You know she's scared of the dark."

"I know," Jamie said. "We'll keep looking. We're going to find her."

Frank called Danny to check in as he and his detail headed out of 1PP for the night. "Where can I go?"  
"I don't know, Dad. We've canvased the whole neighborhood and nothing. It's like she disappeared. You don't think she'd get in a car with someone do you?"

"No. My granddaughter is smarter than that. There's something we're missing. Connor said Disney, right?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, I was thinking, if she can't get to Disney, what looks most like Disney?"

"The church… or the playground at Wicker Park! I'm on my way."

Danny flew to the park. As expected, he didn't see anyone, but decided to get out and assess all of the places a small child could be hiding. He grabbed his umbrella, even thought it didn't do much good and made his way over to the tunnels and playhouses.

"Kenzie!" He went in and out of the playhouses before climbing up to inspect the tunnels.

"Kenz…"  
"Uncle Danny?" he heard a small voice, sobbing from deep inside the tunnel.

"Kenzie?!" Danny's heart burst with joy when he saw his sopping wet niece's head pop up out of the tunnel and fly into his arms.

"Oh my goodness. Kid, you scared us to death. Are you ok?"

"It started storming."  
"I know. Let's go get in the car." They huddled under Danny's umbrella and ran to his car. "Have you been here all day?"

"For a little while."

"Let's call your dad. He and your mom are so worried."  
"No they're not," she sobbed.

"What? Of course they are. We've been looking for you all day."

"They aren't really my parents. Kirsten said I'm adopted and they didn't want me. That's why they have Finn."

"That's not true and you know it. They love you and your brothers and your sister all the same."  
"Am I adopted?"  
"That's a question your dad needs to answer. First, we need to call him and get you home."  
"No! You can't. I'll get in trouble for running away."  
"Well, you should. If you were my kid you wouldn't be sitting for a week after what you did today. Do you know what could've happened to you?" Kenzie just looked at her feet. "You know good and well you guys aren't supposed to go anywhere without an adult."

"But…"  
"No buts. You scared us all to death. We've had police officers out all day looking for you. And poor Connor thinks because he didn't stop you it's all his fault."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Danny."

"I know. Right now, we need to call your dad." Danny dialed Jamie as he hugged a still sobbing Kenzie tightly. "Hey, I got her. We're headed your way."  
"Is she ok?" Jamie asked as his eyes watered and a lump formed in his throat.

"Yeah. She's fine. Cold, wet, and hungry, but fine. We'll be there shortly."

"Danny's got her!" Jamie exhaled as Eddie leapt into his arms. "They'll be here soon."

"Where was she?"

"Didn't ask. He said she's cold, wet and hungry… but other than that, fine."

"Did Uncle D find her, Mama?"

"Kenzie's fine," Eddie smiled at Connor. "Uncle Danny's bringing her home now."  
"Good," Connor sighed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly as he made his way back into the livingroom to wait.

"Why did she run off?"

"Apparently Kirsten what's-her-name, that newspaper lady's daughter, told the twins they weren't twins and that Kenzie was adopted."

"Oh no."  
"Yeah. So now we've got to have that discussion after we get through all this."

"If I could get my hands on that little brat, I'd…"  
"Save it, Mama. Let's just be glad we're getting our girl back."

"You know you owe me a new suit after making me get out in the rain," Danny joked as he pulled up outside Jamie's house. "Because no way this one's going to be worth anything after this rainstorm."

Kenzie slowly made her way up the sidewalk with Danny right by her side. They didn't have time to pause at the door for nerves, once Connor spotted them out the window, Eddie and Jamie both sprinted through the house and flung open the front door.

"Kenzie Reece!"  
"Bug!"

Jamie dropped to one knee and Eddie bent down so they could both embrace their daughter, who was gripping tightly to Danny's hand.

"Go on," Danny encouraged. Kenzie let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around Jamie's neck.

"I'm sorry, Daddy."

"What in the world made you run off?" He asked and he hugged her tightly and Eddie kissed her head.

"Kirsten said I was adopted. And I thought you didn't want me."  
"Why would you ever think that?" Eddie asked. "You are our daughter. You are Kenzie Reese Reagan and we love you to the moon, and stars, and all the way around the sun and back down to Brooklyn Heights."

"Uh… guys. It's still raining and I'm still getting soaked out here," Danny said as he stood on the front porch, dripping wet.

"Oh sorry," Jamie chuckled as he stood up, still with Kenzie in his arms. "Connor, run upstairs and get Uncle Danny a couple of towels.

"That's ok. I've got to run."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Much like this little monster," he said, poking at Kenzie, "I'm also cold, wet, and hungry."

"Danny, thank you so much," Eddie sighed as she gave him a hug.

"You got it."  
"Yeah, thanks, man. We owe you."

"No worries. Remember kid," he smiled at Kenzie. "You owe me a new suit."

Danny splashed back down the driveway and out to his Jeep as Jamie, Eddie, and Kenzie turned and went inside.

"Ok. Let's get you some dry clothes and some dinner," Eddie said as she took Kenzie from Jamie's arms.  
"Then we have a lot of talking to do, young lady," Jamie added.

"Daddy? Are you mad at me?"

Jamie's heart once again melted as he looked at his dripping wet daughter, clinging to Eddie.

"No, baby. No, I'm not mad at you." He kissed her head and kissed Eddie as he wrapped them both in his arms. "I'm so glad you're home."

Eddie took Kenzie upstairs and found her some pajamas. "So am I?" Kenzie asked as Eddie dried her hair with a towel.

"Are you what?"

"Adopted. Are you not really my mama?"

"Come on," Eddie continued to avoid the question. "Let's go get you something to eat."

"Mama!"

Eddie sighed as she could tell Kenzie was not going to back down. "Let's go talk to Daddy."

"Am I in trouble?" she asked, hesitantly, afraid that she had pushed it too far and gotten herself into real trouble.

"No. It's just… if we're going to talk about this, Daddy and Connor need to be with us."

Eddie and Kenzie walked back downstairs and found Jamie and Connor in the kitchen taking a grilled cheese out of a skillet on the stove.

"Hey Bug, we made you grilled cheese," he smiled. "If you eat this and want another I can…"

"We need to talk," Eddie said very seriously as Jamie looked at them both very confused.

"What's wrong?"

"Daddy, I want to know."

"Know what?"

"Am I adopted? Is it true? Mama's not my mama and you're not really Daddy and me and Connor aren't twins. And that's why you had Sawyer and Finn?"

"Ok. Hold on," Jamie walked over as tears began to form in Kenzie's eyes. "Let's get one thing straight right now. You are 100% Kenzie Reagan. I'm 100% Daddy and Mama is 100% Mama. That's not ever going to change. Ever."

"But I'm not really…"

"Kenzie, you were born on March 4th and dropped off at the 2-9 where me and Mommy work."

"Why?"

"Because sometimes people can't take care of their babies and they will bring them to us so that we can find them a home. When you came in, I knew the minute I looked at you that you were meant to live with me and Mommy. I took you home and Aunt Erin signed some papers and you officially became our first baby. Shortly after that, Connor was born."

"So, we aren't twins?" Connor asked as he grabbed Kenzie's hand.

"You didn't both share Mommy's tummy at the same time, but you've never been apart a day in your life, you can still read each other's minds, and as far as I can tell, you are still best friends, right?"

"Right," Connor answered.

"I think that trumps sharing the same tummy any day of the week, don't you?" Connor nodded slowly.

"Are you ok with all of this?" Eddie asked as she patted Kenzie's hand.

"You're not ever getting rid of me?"

"What?" Eddie and Jamie both cracked up. "Of course not! Not even when you're 100 years old."

"Ok," she smiled for the first time all night.

"Now," Jamie said, "as for running away, if you two ever encounter a situation that is too much for you to handle, like Kirsten was today, I want you to run to me or Mommy. Do not ever run away again. Understand?"  
"Yes sir," they both answered.

About that time there was a knock at the door. "Continue," Eddie said, "I'll get it."

While Jamie continued to lay down the law and future consequences, Eddie made her way to the front door where she found Frank. "Where's my granddaughter?" he asked as he walked in the door and gave her a quick hug.  
"She's safe. She's in the kitchen with Jamie."

"Is he laying down the law?"  
"I think so."

"I don't want to interrupt that, but I do need to lay eyes on her."  
"Be my guest," Eddie smiled as Frank led the way back to the kitchen. He was walking with a purpose so Eddie had to try even harder to keep up with him. For every one step he made she had to make two or three.

"Hey Dad," Jamie said as he looked up and made eye contact with his father.

"Hi Grandpa," Connor smiled.

Kenzie looked up at the giant frame of her grandfather with a slight amount of trepidation.

"Granddaughter."

"Hi Grandpa." Kenzie looked to Jamie.

"It's ok. Go give Grandpa a hug. We'll finish later."

Kenzie slowly got up and walked over to Frank who placed his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "Kenzie Reese, don't you ever run off and scare us like that again. Understood?"  
"Yes sir."

"I had all my best cops out there looking for you, and because of that, they weren't able to go out and be available to help other people."

"I'm sorry," Kenzie muttered. "I won't do it again, Grandpa."

"Good girl." He engulfed her in a bear sized hug. "I'm glad you're back home safe and sound. I love you."

"Love you too."

Jamie walked Frank out as Eddie sat down and had her own conversation with Kenzie.

"You ok?" Frank asked as he looked at his very tired son.

"It's been a day. We had to tell her she was adopted. That's what started the whole thing."  
"That's what your brother told me. How'd she take it?"

"I think ok. I'm sure this isn't the last of it, but maybe it's the worst of it."

"Even so, I hope you made it abundantly clear this isn't the way to handle it, no matter what the problem."

"I did."

By the time Jamie rejoined the kitchen crew, it was evident it was time for them to go to bed. Kenzie was exhausted as was Connor. The emotional toll on him was about as rough as the physical toll on her.

"Daddy, can we go to sleep now?" Kenzie asked.

"Yep. Come on. Let's get you both in bed." Kenzie reached up to Jamie who took her and Connor both upstairs and put them to bed. He hugged her just a little tighter before dropping her on the bottom bunk. Instead of climbing to the top bunk, Connor opted to stay with his sister. Eddie joined them shortly after checking on the other two. She found Jamie standing and staring at the two oldest, sleeping soundly.

"Don't worry, Reagan," Eddie smiled as she walked up behind her husband and wrapped her arms around his waist, "She'll be here in the morning."


	4. Chapter 4

Jamie didn't have to wait until morning to see if Kenzie and Connor would still be at the house. Another thunderstorm blew in around 1am. The thunder, lightning, and heavy rains woke Connor, who then woke Kenzie, who waited about two seconds before grabbing her brother's hand and running full speed into Jamie and Eddie's room. They wasted no time jumping on the foot of the bed and scurrying up to the top, in between their parents.

"Hey guys," Eddie chuckled, "What's wrong?"  
About that time, a clap of thunder echoed loudly throughout the house.

"THAT!" Kenzie yelped, half panicked as she latched onto Jamie's arm.

"It's ok," he assured her. "As long as you two are right here, you have nothing to worry about."

"What about me?!" Sawyer shrieked from the doorway, scaring the four of them half to death.

"You too," Jamie laughed as she made her way over to the side of the bed and climbed into the mix. "Want me to go sleep in your room so you guys can sleep with Mommy?"

"No way," Kenzie said, still holding a death grip on his arm. "What if the roof blows off? Or what if the thunder crashes through the house? Or what if the lighting sets the house on fire?"

"House on fire?" Sawyer asked, half terrified.

"No, Sawyer. Everything's fine. Sissy's just being dramatic," Eddie assured her as she moved over enough for Sawyer to climb in between she and Connor.

"I'm not dramatic. It could happen, couldn't it, Daddy?"

"Well, I don't think the thunder is going to clap through the house, but given the right circumstances, the rest could happen. But that's like a one in a bazillion chance, so I'm pretty sure we're good and there's absolutely nothing to worry about."

They laid there for a few minutes while Sawyer slowly drifted back off to sleep. "Hey Daddy," Kenzie whispered.

"Go to sleep, Bug. It's late."

"But Daddy, I just have one question."  
"What is it?" Jamie relented.

"Am I your favorite?" He chuckled as she rested her head on the pillow right beside him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Jamie ended up having to work all day Saturday, so the kids were left to entertain themselves for most of the day while Eddie looked after Finn. She did take them all to the park, but Kenzie and Connor couldn't really get excited without Jamie there to push them high on the swings or walk them down to the pond to feed the ducks.

"How about we all go watch Sean's hockey game tonight. You guys want to do that?" Eddie asked.

"Is Grandpa coming?" Connor asked.

"I bet everybody will be there."  
"Everybody except Daddy," Kenzie sighed.

"Come on," Eddie smiled. "It will be fun."

The following morning, Jamie had to run in and tie up a few loose ends before mass. "No worries," Eddie assured him as she stretched and looked at the clock. "We'll meet you there."

"Want me to lay out clothes for the kids?" he asked as he got dressed.

"Nah. I'm getting up," she yawned.

"Ok," he smiled as he leaned down and gave her a kiss. "I'll see you at church."

Eddie had no trouble getting Connor and Sawyer up and ready, but Kenzie was bear. Eddie chalked it up to the fact that they'd had a late night at the hockey game and Jamie once again wasn't there to mediate. They argued over hairstyle and outfit. When they finally made it down to breakfast, they argued over the fact that Kenzie wouldn't eat anything but then Eddie caught her with a stash of peppermint candy.

By the time they made it to mass, Eddie had reached her limit. She took Sawyer and Finn to the nursery and then marched Kenzie and Connor to the Reagan pew. One look and the Reagans knew it had been a rough morning. Connor rushed over and jumped up beside Jamie and the boys. "Sit," Eddie directed to Kenzie, who plopped down with arms crossed and a furrowed brow. "Hi Frank," she then smiled as she turned and hugged the Commissioner who was looking on with amusement.

"Tough morning?"

"You could say that."  
It wasn't too long until Jamie got there, looking fresh and relaxed. "Hey everybody," he smiled as he walked up and joined them. One look at Eddie and he too could tell it had been a rough morning.

"What's wrong?"  
"Your daughter…"

Jamie looked over to Kenzie who hadn't yet seen him and was still sitting, with arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"

"She didn't want to get up, she fought me over her clothes and hair. She was snapping at Sawyer. She wouldn't eat any breakfast. She said she wasn't hungry, but I caught her with a pocketful of candy, and she's been less than pleasant to everyone we've encountered since we walked inside."

"What in the world?" They all moved to take a seat as Jamie looked down the row at his sullen daughter. "Kenzie Reece!" he whispered sternly.

Kenzie's ears perked up and a small smile flashed across her face if only for a second when she saw her dad. "Hi Daddy."

"Come here."

Kenzie got up and crawled over Eddie as Jamie picked her up and sat her down firmly in his lap. "Have you been giving Mommy a hard time this morning?" Kenzie shrugged. Jamie raised his eyebrows. "Do we need to step outside for a minute?" Kenzie shook her head no as Father O'Reilly stepped up to the podium. "We're going to have a long talk about this later, understood?"

About half-way through homily, Jamie looked down to notice Kenzie was sound asleep. He was getting pretty warm, with a kid in his lap, but when he realized he was unusually warm, he reached up and felt Kenzie's forehead.

"What's wrong?" Eddie whispered, when she saw him fidgeting.

"She feel warm to you?" Eddie reached over and when her eyes widened, Jamie knew he had his answer. "There's the reason she was giving you such a hard time. She didn't feel well. Want me to take her home or the other three to Dad's?"

"As much as I want the break, she's going to want you."

"Ok. I'm going to go ahead and take off then so I can get her something for this fever. I'll see you guys when you get home."

Jamie gave Eddie a quick kiss as he picked up a sleeping Kenzie and slipped out the back. She never even stirred until he got her out of the car back at the house.

"Why didn't we go to Grandpa's?" Kenzie yawned as Jamie took her inside and straight up to the bathroom where he found the thermometer.

"You've got a fever, Bug. Let's go see how high it is." Kenzie rubbed her eyes as he stuck the thermometer in her mouth. "Do you feel bad?" Kenzie nodded as he wet a cool washcloth as he waited for the all familiar beep. "101.2."

"Is that bad?" Kenzie asked.

"It's a bit high. We need to get you some lunch and get you in your bed."  
"I don't want anything. Will you sit with me?"

"Sure. Let's at least get you something to drink and change your clothes. I'll go get you some juice. You go put on your jammies."

Kenzie made her way into her bedroom and grabbed her light purple pajama pants with white flowers and matching tshirt. Instead of getting into bed, she made her way downstairs to find Jamie.

"Hey, Bug. Take a drink of this and then you need to take some medicine." Kenzie looked pitiful and really didn't want to swallow whatever medicine he had for her. Nevertheless, he filled up the medicine cup and handed it to her. "We've got to get your fever down." She scrunched her nose and she gagged down the clear liquid. "Here. Take a few more sips of this and then let's get you back up to your room."

"Can we sit down here?"

He thought for a minute. Sitting in the livingroom would be more comfortable for him than trying to squeeze onto a bunk bed. "Ok. Let's go sit on the couch." Jamie led her into the livingroom where he took a seat on the sofa and let her rest her head in his lap as she stretched out beside him.

Meanwhile at Frank's house, the family was enjoying an Italian themed Sunday dinner. Eddie dipped lasagna for both Sawyer and Connor and handed them each a piece of garlic bread before finally fixing a plate for herself.

"I can't get over this big boy!" Erin smiled as she held Finn. "He's doubled in size!"

"He is growing like a weed," Henry agreed. "What's in that bottle, huh?"

"It's milk, Pop," Sawyer answered as she wiped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.

"It is?" Henry asked, wide eyed as she smiled and nodded at him.

"You know," Frank began, "you could leave Sawyer and Connor with me and Pop tonight and I can take them into the city in the morning."

"Oh no, I couldn't do that to you. We'll be fine. I'll call Jamie on the way home to quarantine Kenzie upstairs in the guest room."

"It really won't be a problem. We've got one of Connor's uniforms here already. And we've got plenty of play clothes for Sawyer. Let us keep them."

"Really? It would be a huge help but I don't want to put you out."

"No problem at all. Connor, want to hang out here tonight?"

"Sure, Grandpa!"

Henry smiled as he turned to Sawyer. "Hey Sawyer, want to stay with Pop Pop tonight?"

"Nicki, stay too?"  
"I'll hang out for a little while."  
Sawyer looked back to Henry. "Ok."

By the time Eddie returned home with Finn, Kenzie had started feeling worse. "Daddy, my throat hurts real, real bad."

"Open up and let me see," Jamie said as he pulled out his cellphone and turned on the light before peering into Kenzie's mouth. "Oh, it does look bad. Let's go to the clinic and see if we can get you tested for strep."

"Oh my. Want me to take her?" Eddie asked as she put Finn in the playpen and walked over to the couch."

"Nah. We're in it for the long haul, today," Jamie smiled as he leaned over and gave her a kiss. "We'll be back in a little while. Come on, Bug." Jamie drove to the Walk-In Clinic and got Kenzie checked in. It didn't take long at all for them to call her back.

The nurse took her back and checked her weight. Then suggested she sit in Jamie's lap while she did blood pressure, temperature, and swabbing her throat.

"Say 'Ahhh!'" the nurse said as she stuck the swab in the back of her throat. Kenzie gagged as her eyes filled with tears. Jamie held her arms tight so she wouldn't punch the nurse out of pure reflex.

"Ok. All done. I'm sorry," she smiled as she led them to a different room. "Hang out right here and the doctor will be in shortly."

"I wanna go home," Kenzie sniffed as Jamie picked her up and sat her on the table.

"It won't be too much longer," Jamie said as he stroked her hair.

"Hello, Kenzie Reagan. What's going on with you today?" Dr. Patterson asked as he breezed in. "Sore throat?"

"It hurts bad."

"Can I see?" he asked as he turned on his light. "Open up." Kenzie hesitated until he assured her he wouldn't swab it.

"Oh that does look painful," he said. "Let me check your ears." After a quick look, Dr. Patterson gave his diagnosis. "I don't think we even have to wait for the strep results. That throat is pretty ugly, no offense. I'm going to start you on a round of antibiotics, a liquid steroid, and an antihistamine."

"Are those shots?" Kenzie asked timidly.

"We could do a shot, but it doesn't work any quicker than taking the liquid. If you promise to go home and take your medicine, we'll forgo the shot. Sound good?"

"Yes sir."

"Thanks, Doc," Jamie smiled, with a handshake. "It's been a rough day."

"No problem. I'll get the meds called into the pharmacy and you guys can be on your way. Feel better, Kenzie."

Knowing that it'd take a few minutes to get the prescriptions ready, Jamie took Kenzie to get a slushie and then ran into the pharmacy to get some sore throat suckers. He walked around with her in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, until her meds were finally ready.

"Do you need a dropper?" the pharmacist asked.  
"Are the instructions in milliliters?"

"Yes."  
"Then, yes. Absolutely."

The pharmacist chuckled as she placed a medicine dropper in the bag. "Here you go. Feel better."

Jamie took Kenzie home and handed her off to Eddie to get bathed. Once she had on her pajamas and Jamie had enjoyed the dinner Eddie had fixed for them, he took back over and attempted to get her medicated.

"Ok, Bug. Which one do you want first? The pink, the yellow, or the clear?"  
"None."

"Well, you've got to take all three or we have to go back and get shots, remember? He plunged the dropper into the medicine bottle and drew up the antibiotic. "Here. Let's try the pink first." Kenzie gagged it down, already in tears.

"Daddy, it's awful!"  
"Two more."  
"NO MORE."  
"Here. Let me teach you a trick," Eddie said, trying to intervene. "Hold your nose. And don't let go until you have taken your medicine and two swallows of juice. Ready?" Kenzie looked at her skeptically but did as she was told. Jamie squeezed the steroid into her mouth. She held her nose until she'd taken two big drinks of her juice. "Better?" Eddie asked. Kenzie nodded sadly. "Good. Finish up and let's get you in bed." Jamie gave her the antihistamine last and gave her a bit of ice cream to wash it down.

"Come on. Let's go brush your teeth and go to bed."

She once again wrapped her arms around his neck as he picked her up and took her back upstairs. Once her teeth were brushed, he started down the hallway to her room.

"Finn's down. Let me take her," Eddie offered. "You go get a shower and I'll put her to bed."

"I want to stay with Daddy," Kenzie cried softly on his shoulder.

"It's ok," Jamie soothed as he patted her back. "Go with Mommy and get comfy in bed and I'll be back in just a few minutes to tuck you in. I need to get all those germs off me too."

Jamie passed her off to Eddie who made her way into the twins' bedroom. She sat down on the bed and let Kenzie lean up against her chest as she read a bedtime story. Jamie returned shortly after and stood in the doorway, watching Eddie gently stroke Kenzie's hair as she read page after page. Kenzie was sound asleep in no time.

"Hey, I think she's out," Eddie whispered as she gently got up and tucked Kenzie in tight for the night. "I may need to stay in here though… I don't want to leave her down here by herself."  
"Which is why I brought this," Jamie smiled as he pulled Sawyer's baby monitor out of his pocket.

"Mr. Reagan, you think of everything," Eddie grinned as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

"I try." He sat the monitor down on the nightstand right beside his sleeping daughter and bent down to kiss her forehead before they both crept out into the hallway. "Where are you going?" he asked as Eddie turned to go back downstairs.

"Well, I figured while there's only two of them in the house, I can finish up this last load of laundry. Wanna go watch me fluff and fold?"

He chuckled as he grabbed the back of her robe. "The way I see it, we've only got about a four-hour window here before one of the two of them wakes up. How about we enjoy a little mommy and daddy alone time?"

"Hmmmm….." Eddie rested both of her arms on his shoulders as they stood, toe-to-toe. Jamie had his hands around her waist, resting his clasped hands on the small of her back. "One's been medicated, one's in a crib, so pending an alien invasion, there shouldn't be any interruptions?"

"Uh huh…"

"Yeah. The laundry can wait!" she whispered excitedly as she lunged forward and kissed him, propelling them both into the bedroom for some much needed alone time.

"Hey, Reagan," Eddie began as she lay, wrapped in Jamie's arms, later on that evening.

"Yeah?" Jamie carefully twirled Eddie's golden hair around his index finger as she moved her index finger back and forth across his bare chest.

"If you could go back and change one thing about our life, what would it be?"

Jamie sat for a moment before concocting the perfect answer. "I would've made a move on you sooner."  
"I'm serious!" she chuckled.

"So am I!" Eddie rolled her eyes as she rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin on his chest.

"Ok fine. What would you change?"  
"I wouldn't change a thing. You and those four kids are all I ever needed in life. Besides maybe a pool. I wouldn't mind if we had a pool. And an outdoor pizza oven."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Come on. Name one thing you'd do different."

"I'd have gotten the kids a puppy when they were young so they could grow up with one."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. We had a red golden retriever named Frannie that Mom and Dad got when they brought Danny home from the hospital. By the time I came along, Frannie was gone and they got Winnie. I loved that dog."

"And you think our kids need one?"

"I mean… I just don't think we should rule it out forever."

"Well until you quit having so many long shifts, I'm not taking on one more living thing to clean up after or feed. Got it?"  
"Yes ma'am," he smiled as he kissed her. "But I still may stop by the shelter one afternoon and just look."  
"Jamison Reagan!" Eddie rolled her eyes as Jamie rolled both she and himself over and he began to kiss her again. "Oh you think this is going to get you out of trouble?"

"Can't hurt," he chuckled.

"Who am I kidding? You're exactly right," she laughed.


End file.
